MidWife Center in Strip District feels growing pains

Pittsburgh's MidWife Center is in an expansion mode.

The Strip District facility wants to nearly double its size to accommodate women who want to use the midwife method in giving birth and avoid C-sections, said Christine Haas, executive director of the Midwife Center for Birth & Women's Health.

Plans are to build a three-story addition.

As part of its $2.5 million expansion at 2825 Penn Ave., the center received a $200,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County on Friday through the Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund.

Haas said the center acquired two vacant structures adjoining its location where the expansion will occur, and she hopes construction can begin in early 2015.

A capital campaign to raise funds is being formulated.

“We now serve about 500 (women) a year, an increase from 400,” putting the center at capacity, she said. Since its founding in 1982, the center has served close to 5,500, she said.

Women normally remain at the center four to 12 hours after giving birth, and nurses from the center will make home visits the first and third day after they leave, Haas said.

The expansion will add nine employees to the 27 working at the center, she said.

The authority also:

• Approved $250,000 for Clairton Municipal Authority toward correcting “hundreds” of structural problems in the city's sewer system.

• Approved a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant to the UPMC Braddock hospital project, and to extend a $3 million loan, where Trek Development is building a structure that will house an urgent care facility supported by Highmark.

• Agreed to a $50,000 expenditure to hire three companies to make lead paint inspections on houses purchased by individuals under the Allegheny County Home Improvement Loan program. They are Affordable Services Inc., AGX Inc. and Professional Services Inc.

• Accepted $33,000 from Wells Fargo toward the renovation of a vacant, deteriorated house at 7700 Cannon St., Swissvale. The funds will be turned over to the Mon Valley Initiative to upgrade the house and sell it.

• Approved extending a $1 million revolving loan for the Carrie Furnace project, which received a $6 million RACP grant from the state. The loan allows the county to fill the finance gap to continue the project, involving a flyover ramp over railroad tracks from the Rankin Bridge into the site, where a spine road will be built, opening about 50 acres for development.

Sam Spatter is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7843 or sspatter@tribweb.com.